*** President’s Information to the BITH ***
It is my sad duty to report that Banjo in the Hollow is in catastrophic shapes financially, membership wise, and the ability to carry on as a viable organization at this time. We have lost approximately 75-80 members since the first of the year and the losses are still coming in. Our treasury has all but been depleted trying to issue newsletters, provide events for members, and maintain the Web site. BITH resources have always been marginal at best; a lack of member participation, dropped memberships, not being able to secure corporate sponsorships, have all taken a toll on Banjo in the Hollow.

For these reasons, it was voted on and accepted at the last board meeting that Banjo in the Hollow will not continue to try and sponsor events, will not take new memberships nor try to actively re-new existing members, will not publish a newsletter, and will not conduct business for the next 12 month period.

While nobody wants to see this come to pass, there is no way around this for now. The BITH will continue to maintain our tax-exempt status and a Web site. The existing Board will meet in twelve months and decide the direction that BITH can/will take at that time. By the grace of an anonymous benefactor, BITH will be able to maintain liability insurance and the cost of the Web site.

It is my understanding that Bennie Greenhill still wants to hold picking sessions informally each month; if you are interested in that, I suggest that you visit the Web site periodically as we will no longer publish ANY written communications regarding events, picking sessions, or other pertinent items of interest. We just do not have the financial resources. There will be a final newsletter published containing this and other articles to be sent out in late December.

To all of the Board members, Officers, members, and friends who have supported Banjo in the Hollow, I thank you for all of your fine efforts. As we knew all too well and I have so often stated, an organization is only as strong as its members. Perhaps the Triangle area has become too sophisticated to support a Bluegrass organization, or perhaps there are simply too many activity choices available for folks to spend their time and money on, I cannot speculate. I am confidant that Banjo in the Hollow will return; when and how, and what direction the organization will take, is unknown for now. This is a time for reflection for all of us, and hopefully, we will gain insights on how to revive this fine organization.

 

*** To All BITH Members ***
As your outgoing secretary of BITH, let me first say how honored I was to have served on the board of Banjo in the Hollow....I don't know that anyone knows the exact cause of the drastic reduction in membership and participation in BITH over the past year....this is an organization with a proud tradition over such a long time....the name Banjo in the Hollow is still well-known just about everywhere I go...and don't get me wrong..I'm still so proud of BITH...may be it's just a sign of the times and so much competition and so many events that we have to choose from, now...it's not like the old days when BITH was the "only game in town"....now, there are jam sessions to choose from almost every night of the week; there are so many more events on the weekend that people have to choose from that it's hard to sponsor an event and have a large turnout, anymore....so, maybe the handwriting was "on the wall" and it is indeed time to put BITH to rest for a while....maybe the interest in reviving BITH will pick up over the coming year and we can all get together again and "do some pickin' and grinnin' like we did in the past...who knows, anything can happen....but know one thing...the proud tradition of BITH lives on, and the website will flourish for another year, thanks to Gary Wells, our webmaster,who has done such a superb job of maintaining our website and making sure that the quality has remained top-notch ,...,thanks a million, Gary; out hats are off to you in apprecation for all you've done.....and to Ron Petty, president,who has given so much of his time and has believed in the organization since he started...my thanks to Ron Stell and Bennie Greenhill, who have so unselfishly provided such excellent places to hold our monthly picking sessions(remember, the picking sessions at Bennie Greenhill's will continue each month on the third Sunday); and thanks to the members who came out to pick and eat and sing with us.....so, I know I'll be seeing you somewhere down the road....best of luck to all of you and LONG LIVE BANJO IN THE HOLLOW........Monty Smith